


Enemy in an Alien World

by Dramafanforever



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Broken Draco, Draco in the Muggle World, Draco on probation, Draco without wand, Enemies to Lovers, Harry and Draco become neighbours, Harry can't restist to help Draco, Harry doesn't care about the ministry, Harry has a café in Camden, M/M, Male Slash, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:55:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dramafanforever/pseuds/Dramafanforever
Summary: After the war Draco has been sentenced to five years in Azkaban. Due to his good behaviour he is relased after no more than three years to spend the remaining time on probation in  muggle London. He's not allowed to use his wand nor can he enter the wizarding world. The ministry assigns him an apartment in a shabby house in Camden. Draco might have decided to stay in Azkaban had he known that Harry Potter runs a café in the same building and lives right next door. Unfortunately, Draco needs all the help he can get to survive in the muggle world.(This is a translation of the first chapter of my latest German fanfiction. I just wanted to show a little piece of my writing to an English speaking audience. My English is not good enough for a full-sized story though. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter nonetheless.)
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 34





	Enemy in an Alien World

The day Draco Malfoy moved into the rooms next to Harry’s apartment was a day like any other, yet it should turn Harry’s world upside down like no other event since Voldemort had brought himself down with his own death curse.

It was a Monday, 1st October 2001. That year terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York, Wikipedia was founded and Prince William met Kate Middleton at a Scottish university. Douglas Adams had died and bands like Outkast, Linkin Park and Blue stayed in the top 10 of the charts for weeks. Millions of fans were eagerly awaiting the premiere of the first part of the “Lord of the Rings” and billions of text messages were sent worldwide via Nokia and Ericcson cell phones.

Harry was well informed about the muggle world because he owned a small café in the bustling Camden district of London, not far from Camden Market, which was popular with Londoners and tourists alike. The café was in a busy little street called Parkway. It was one of the few places in England where the wizarding and the muggle world were allowed to mix, a place where squibs, muggles and wizards, connected by love or kinship, could meet without going against the statute of secrecy. It was also a shelter for those who needed help to process all the feelings that an encounter with the other culture could cause. In the evening discussions were held for muggle parents who didn’t know how to deal with the accidental magic of their children. Mixed couples spoke about their everyday problems and siblings who had been denied the chalice of magical talent could vent their disappointment without being judged.

Harry’s apartment was on the first floor on the left just above the café. After the death of Mrs Pentriss, Harry’s next door neighbour, her apartment stayed uninhabited for three months. Mrs Pentriss had been a teacher at a public muggle school and had passed away peacefully at the age of 93. She had no relatives and since the Ministry of Magic, which owned the building, could not find any heirs to get her things out, the apartment was going to be rented out furnished from now on.

Harry had known that the apartment would be occupied again in October. What he hadn’t known was the fact that the new tenant was his old arch enemy Draco Malfoy. He found out about that on the day Malfoy moved in.

Harry was tidying up his café and just about to wipe a table by the window when three people appeared in front of the building and stopped undecided. They wore ill-fitting, out-of-style muggle clothing and moved as if they felt watched. Harry only had to look once to see that they were wizards. One of the three was a tiny woman. She pointed to the front door and talked to a bulky middle-aged man who was standing next to her. The older wizard had his fingers wrapped around the arm of a skinny, tall guy as if to prevent him from running away, although the younger man showed no intention to move at all. He was waiting impassively for his companions’ decision to enter the house or not. A long, beige trench coat slithered around his thin body and the black hood of his sweater jutted far above his head. A few strands of white blond hair peeped out from the sides. He clutched a brown, almost ridiculously small suitcase and kept his head down. Harry was not able to see the man’s face, but something about his attitude sparked Harry’s curiosity.

Before the three of them disappeared through the front door, the blonde man suddenly raised his head and looked through the window into the café. His eyes met Harry’s and for a moment the time seemed to stop. The young man was Draco Malfoy, though he didn’t show any sign of recognition when he stared into Harry’s eyes. A few heartbeats later the older wizard pulled Malfoy out of Harry’s field of vision.

Harry slumped into the nearest chair. What was Draco Malfoy doing here? He was supposed to be in Azkaban. Harry had last seen him at his trial. That was three years ago and Malfoy had looked just as sickly as now, lean and pale, with deep-set eyes and an apathetic expression on his face.

A terrible notion spread through Harry. He got up and ran to the side door of the café that lead into the stairwell of the house. He opened it as quietly as possible and listened.

“Here it is,” the witch’s voice came down to Harry from the first floor.

Harry heard her fumbling with a key. Apparently the lady was not used to opening muggle locks. After a short while a familiar squeak indicated that Mrs Pentriss’ door was opened.

“In now!” The older wizard ordered. A rustle and some stampling, then the door was closed. Harry sighed and went back to the front premises of the café. No more than ten minutes later the witch and the older wizard appeared on the pavement next to the big windows. There was no sign of Malfoy. Harry hurried to intercept the two wizards before they could disappear again.

“Good morning!” He greeted almost breathlessly.

“Good morning … Harry Potter! What are you doing here?” the witch asked, her voice raised in a mixture of surprise and delight.

"I was shopping.” Harry wasn’t going to tell just anyone where he lived and worked. “Was that Draco Malfoy you had with you?”

The two wizards looked at each other as if they didn’t know if that information was confidential. Apparently they came to the conclusion it wasn’t and replied, “Yes, Draco Malfoy.”

“I thought he was kept in Azkaban.”

“He was - until yesterday. The ministry released him on parole.”

"Didn’t he get five years?” Harry had testified for Malfoy at his trial, but that hadn’t stopped the Ministry from imposing the maximum penalty for underage criminals on him.

“Yes, five years, but due to his good behavior his punishment has been reduced. He will be living in the Muggle world for the next two years.”

“It’s cheaper for us than keeping him in Azkaban,” the wizard informed Harry in a smug voice.

“Does that mean he’s moving in here now?” Harry waved at his house.

“Yes, but don’t worry, he doesn’t have a wand and he is only allowed to use magic in case of an emergency or for his defense - if he can do wandless magic, that is. He can’t harm anyone and will be checked by his probation officer regularily. Otherwise, he can move around freely as long as he doesn’t enter the wizarding world or leave the country.”

“You know, this building is owned by the ministry and an apartment has become vacant. Malfoy will receive a monthly allowance. He’s quite lucky, I guess, for being a death eater and all,” the wizard added.

“But…” A feeling of impending doom swept through Harry’s body. Something dark and dangerous was piling up on the horizon and Harry didn’t know how to stop it. He wanted to protest and urge the two wizards to get Malfoy out of his house. Harry had built himself a nice and peaceful life here. Being in Malfoy’s vicinity, living in the apartment right next to him could only mean trouble. Harry didn’t know how to make the two wizards understand that and he suspected it was futile to try. He wouldn’t be able to change the Ministry’s decision.

Harry’s relationship with the minister of magic was a bit strained since he had refused to act as a puppet for the new Ministry. Instead of becoming an Auror right after the war and appearing as the radiant or tragic hero at galas and memorial events, Harry had returned to Hogwarts for his NEWTs and then withdrawn from the public by opening his little café in muggle London. He didn’t want to act as an advertising figure for wizards who still were prejudiced against muggles and didn’t really try to change their corrupt ways.

Harry did a lot of good for wizards and muggles, but his desire to bring the two worlds closer together was not well received by the new minister. Melbroke wanted Harry to focus on the wizarding world exclusively.

Harry couldn’t change it and he didn’t really care what others thought about him. He had done his duty and was happy with his life. He had kept his old friends and made a few new ones. He had created a niche in which he could live in peace and with the feeling of doing something useful. Now, Draco Malfoy was threatening to destroy all of this, and Harry didn’t know what to do.


End file.
